The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - 22-250 IS good for deer hunting!

LateNightFlight · August 9, 2009, 07:41 PM

Past success with a 22-250 does not guarantee future success. Forward looking statements about what has worked in the past are certain to fail in the future. Statistical reversion to the mean is a natural law. I’m thinking, 'Dude, use a bigger gun.'

Last year, I shot a doe with a 235 grain, 50 cal slug, while black powder hunting. She ran, turned uphill and jumped a five foot fence. I was cussing at myself, "How could I blow that shot?" But, about 15 yards beyond the fence (at least 70 yards in aggregate travel) she abruptly fell dead.

I went from thinking I had missed, or foul hit at best, to thinking I had made a weak lung hit - a distal base of a lung lobe, perhaps. But when I field dressed the deer, I discovered I had made a through-and-through hit on the center of the heart. What more could anybody ask for? So why didn't she drop right there?

I'm not saying 50 cal is not enough gun, obviously. What I am saying is that experiences like this have taught me that it is difficult to be over-gunned, and much easier to be under-gunned. While this deer wasn't typical of a deer shot through the heart, how far could this deer have gone with a .22 cal wound? (I understand the improved factors with a 22-250’s expansion and the benefits of velocity, but work with me here.)

There's a statistical axiom in medicine that says 50% of the people who fall from a height of 25' onto a hard surface will die. Adjust the height up or down and the percentages scale accordingly. It is the same for factors determining the suitability of hunting rounds. Excusing exceptions and considering the averages, a bigger round is better.

Personally, I'll stick with bigger stuff for game, because, sometimes, even what seems like it should be substantial over-kill will disappoint. Eventually, what you witness will defeat everything you thought you already knew about the topic. An animal that turns into a marathon runner teaches you nothing if you leave thinking you missed it. The only thing that’s worse is knowing you hit it, but being unable to find it. Game officials understand this because of the unclaimed deer they find lying in the woods - deer that have traveled miles - with a fairly placed hit but not enough bullet. That’s the reason some States exclude the CF .22s for deer size game.

August 9, 2009, 07:41 PM	#14
LateNightFlight Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2007 Location: Central Missouri Posts: 552	Past success with a 22-250 does not guarantee future success. Forward looking statements about what has worked in the past are certain to fail in the future. Statistical reversion to the mean is a natural law. I’m thinking, 'Dude, use a bigger gun.' Last year, I shot a doe with a 235 grain, 50 cal slug, while black powder hunting. She ran, turned uphill and jumped a five foot fence. I was cussing at myself, "How could I blow that shot?" But, about 15 yards beyond the fence (at least 70 yards in aggregate travel) she abruptly fell dead. I went from thinking I had missed, or foul hit at best, to thinking I had made a weak lung hit - a distal base of a lung lobe, perhaps. But when I field dressed the deer, I discovered I had made a through-and-through hit on the center of the heart. What more could anybody ask for? So why didn't she drop right there? I'm not saying 50 cal is not enough gun, obviously. What I am saying is that experiences like this have taught me that it is difficult to be over-gunned, and much easier to be under-gunned. While this deer wasn't typical of a deer shot through the heart, how far could this deer have gone with a .22 cal wound? (I understand the improved factors with a 22-250’s expansion and the benefits of velocity, but work with me here.) There's a statistical axiom in medicine that says 50% of the people who fall from a height of 25' onto a hard surface will die. Adjust the height up or down and the percentages scale accordingly. It is the same for factors determining the suitability of hunting rounds. Excusing exceptions and considering the averages, a bigger round is better. Personally, I'll stick with bigger stuff for game, because, sometimes, even what seems like it should be substantial over-kill will disappoint. Eventually, what you witness will defeat everything you thought you already knew about the topic. An animal that turns into a marathon runner teaches you nothing if you leave thinking you missed it. The only thing that’s worse is knowing you hit it, but being unable to find it. Game officials understand this because of the unclaimed deer they find lying in the woods - deer that have traveled miles - with a fairly placed hit but not enough bullet. That’s the reason some States exclude the CF .22s for deer size game.